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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Riley37" data-source="post: 6461328" data-attributes="member: 6786839">The forums have a section which is specific to 5E.Should they have a section which is specific to "Combat is All That Matters: Rate Builds by Damage Output"?And then the people can calculate damage ranges in that section; and the rest of us can discuss all three pillars, outside that section.I don't have a Rogue PC, but I have a Bard, and there might be crossover in the general topic of shenanigans.In one of the stock intro stories for 5E, our quest-giver asked us to show up at a certain time and place, and offer a certain item to the people we met there, in exchange for another item, and bring back the results, and also perform a certain secret task. That task was best done with Sleight of Hand, and the other Bard in the party has slightly higher Sleight (or sleightly higher slight?), so he was "face" and handled the transfer. (Hm, in hindsight, given how crucial that one roll was, I should have given him Bardic Inspiration and the cleric should have given him Guidance. Okay, general-case note on shenanigans: when there's a high-stakes roll, and either you beat the foe's Perception or the scenario hits the fan, Guidance and Bardic Inspiration are two ways to help.)Meanwhile, on the way to the meeting location, my character went Invisible, and snuck around the back, thus getting a look at the "other side" before they entered, and being in position in case things went wrong. (Roguelike, no? Well, not roguelike in the sense of Nethack, but in the sense of hiding in order to attack from behind.) Since the exchange happened smoothly, he scouted around for a good hiding place, found one, settled in, dropped concentration, and then, as the other side departed, cast Detect Thoughts on them, surface level only, hoping for useful info on who they were working for, etc.Meanwhile, most of the party left the scene by the front door. The paladin, however, who had spotted motion upstairs, decided to go check it out, on his own. As one might guess, he bit off more than he could easily chew, especially since climbing up a ladder, towards a foe waiting at the top of that ladder, has certain tactical limitations. My PC, still hidden just outside the location's rear door, set up caltrops. The paladin ended up jumping out the upstairs window; the NPC team rushed downstairs to give chase, at full speed, banging open the back door, and running onto the caltrops. Caltrop wounds reduced their max Speed, so the paladin had an easy getaway.Attack rolls, none. Skill rolls, a few, mainly Stealth (with Expertise). Contribution to party success, personal satisfaction, opportunity to remind the paladin "you owe me one, and next time stick to open battle"? Priceless!</blockquote>

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